Escambia baseball makes annual games at Blue Wahoos Stadium a spring break reward

When taking over in 2016 as Escambia High’s baseball head coach, Tracey King made a point of scheduling a game each season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

“For us, it is our spring break trip,” said King, whose team is soaring with an 11-3 record and unbeaten in District 1-4A. “We try to provide a full day experience. It’s just awesome.

“I enjoy attending games there and watching the Blue Wahoos play and I know the kids enjoy playing there.”

This year’s playing experience happens Wednesday when the surging Gators face Gulf Breeze (9-4) in a 6:30 p.m. game at the bayfront stadium that provides a mid-season gauge. Tickets are $10 apiece and available online or at the stadium box office.

Escambia, the home team in this game, has proven to be one of the elite teams in Northwest Florida. The Gators are currently No. 52 overall in the state rankings of all classifications produced by the FHSAA, and ranked eighth in all of Class 4A.

Both teams had games Tuesday night: Escambia played at Milton, falling 10-5, Gulf Breeze faced Booker T. Washington (Okla.), coming away with a 10-0 mercy-rule win.

“We’re pretty excited about the season,” King said prior to Tuesday's game. “It is rolling pretty good. We’re happy with what’s going on, we just need to keep working every day.”

The Gators' playoff loss a year ago in the Region 1-5A semifinals became a rallying moment. King knew he had team full of upperclassmen returning. The Gators have 14 seniors and four juniors.

“I have never had that,” King said. “We preached it last year when the season ended about everyone staying healthy, working hard in the offseason. We knew this was going to be a good season.

“We’re an older group, so most of these boys have been with us four years. When you have lot of seniors, you have maturity. They have bought into our program. It’s just a routine.

“We stick to a routine every day and they are used to it by now. I think that has helped us hit the ball so well.”

Two of the Gators’ top performers this season are both juniors. Clayton Sanders leads the team with a .486 average and 10 RBIs. On the mound, the right-hander has 42 strikeouts in 28 innings with a 1.25 earned run average.

Outfielder Caleb Bates carries a .488 average into Wednesday's game with a 17 RBI and 16 runs scored. He also has earned a win on the mound.

Gulf Breeze is led by senior Jake Hooten, who currently has a .500 average with a team-high seven home runs, plus four doubles. He's tacked on 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored.

“Gulf Breeze is a very good team,” King said. “And it is going to be a challenge to beat them. But we’re going to go out and compete.

“I know all the kids on their team. A lot of them were sophomores when my oldest son played at Gulf Breeze. They were very scrappy.”

The game Wednesday night is the second of three high school games this year at Blue Wahoos Stadium. On March 28, Milton will face West Florida High in a game that will precede the start of the 2025 Blue Wahoos' season a week later on April 4.

Want to go?

WHAT: High School Baseball

WHO: Gulf Breeze Dolphins vs. Escambia Gators

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium

WHEN: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

TICKETS: Available on line through ticket link on www.bluewahoos.com or can be purchased at the stadium box office.

REMINDER: Blue Wahoos Stadium is a cashless venue for ticketing and concessions.

Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at bvilona@bluewahoos.com

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia, Gulf Breeze baseball to battle it out at Blue Wahoos Stadium

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Escambia baseball makes annual games at Blue Wahoos Stadium a spring break reward

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